breathers
by AGENT Kuma-chan
Summary: Naminé had none of Sora's laziness or Kairi's relaxed attitude, and honestly, Riku would have left the islands years ago if she'd been around. Still, everyone needed a break, Nobodies included. -Riku/Naminé


**Title: **breathers

**Characters/Pairings:** Naminé/Riku

**A/N:** Written for the KH rarepairs zine! I picked Naminé/Riku, I've had a soft spot for them since CoM

**Summary:** _Naminé had none of Sora's laziness or Kairi's relaxed attitude, and honestly, Riku would have left the islands years ago if she'd been around. Still, everyone needed a break, Nobodies included._

…

…

…

…

"Mmmmmm, mmmm, mmmmm,mmm."

A delicate humming filled the white house and Riku didn't have to look to know where it was coming from. He'd recognize Naminé's soft voice anywhere. Automatically, his feet followed a familiar path to her room. As he got closer, he heard the soft scratch of her crayons, the sharp flip of a page.

Spotting her familiar silhouette, he stopped at the doorway. As usual, she was sitting at the table, her head bent as she drew scene after scene. The walls were filled with images, with memories, and Riku scanned the colourful pictures. There was the time he raced with Sora, making the raft with Kairi, sleeping under the stars. Other, unknown memories filled with mermaids and warriors and constellations he didn't know.

He never did have a chance to talk to Sora after all was said and done, to boast about adventures and swap tales. Quietly, so as not to disturb Naminé, Riku drifted from picture to picture. A boy with a monkey smirked mischievously in one. Another had a bear with his head caught in a honey pot. Riku's fingers brushed against one of Kairi giving Sora the paopu fruit.

"I had to make sure that memory was returned," Naminé said apologetically, slowly setting down her sketchpad.

Resisting the urge to jump, Riku withdrew his hand. "It is an important one."

"Yeah." Pushing her chair back, Naminé slipped off and joined him. Her sad eyes took in the scene and she smiled softly. "That fruit was the basis of everything."

"Everything?" Riku asked, cocking his head in confusion.

"For our 'friendship'." She touched the paopu fruit lightly. Her fingers slowly slid off the picture and she turned around and pointed at a few other sketches. The golden fruit was prominent in each of them. "This fruit was important to you. Both of you. So I used that to insert myself."

_Both of you_. Riku didn't have to ask what she meant by that. It was impossible to forget the sight of his death, of his body choking and gasping for its last breath. "There's a story on my island, that if two people share one—"

"Their destinies are intertwined," Naminé completed. She chuckled at his surprised expression. "You have no idea how often you guys said that in his memories."

Riku flushed. Had they really talked about it that much? About this old wife's tale, with no basis in reality? It was stupid, really. A thing that couldn't be true in any way. A thing that he spent several years wishing for, a connection that was permanent. A connection that would stay. The dark part of his heart that Ansem had slipped into. "Really?"

"Really," she confirmed with a grin, smiling whole-heartedly for once. "You say it _a lot_."

"Not that often," he disputed, crossing his arms and looking away. "Just to tease Sora with."

"Hmm…that may be so." A serious expression slipped back onto her face and Riku felt a pang of regret. It had been rare enough that she laughed. "Still." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I'm sorry you didn't get it."

Caught off guard, Riku stared at her. None of his wisecracks came to him, none of his taunts. He was utterly speechless. "I…"

Naminé said nothing, just giving him a knowing look before letting go. She turned back to her table. "I have almost finished removing the altered memories."

Riku glanced at the picture one last time before following her. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he peered at her sketchbook. It was thin now, with only a few pages left. A testament to how hard she worked. "Do you take breaks?" he asked without thinking.

"Huh?" Naminé blinked, staring at her notepad and then back at him. Confusion shone in her eyes and she cocked her head. "Breaks?"

"Vacations? Rest? Time off?" Riku rolled his eyes as he clarified. "You've been in Sora's memories, so you have to know what a break is. That's all the slacker did."

"Yeah, of course I do! But…" Naminé's skin flushed a bright red, and she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I just…I didn't."

"After all that work?" Riku raised a brow. Gesturing with his head at all the pictures, he frowned. "No one should work that long without a break."

"Oh no, it's okay. I'm fine." She rubbed her wrist, her shoulders hunching till she looked even smaller than usual. "I don't—I don't need a break. It's fine."

"Everyone needs a break." Riku reached out and grabbed her hand. Yanking her behind him, he headed to the door. "Even you."

"No, I—" Naminé protested, digging in her heels. "I can't, not after what I did."

"You've apologized enough for that," Riku rebutted, firmly pulling her along. "Sora's forgiven you. And even if my clone can't, I've forgiven you. It's enough."

"It isn't," she muttered softly.

"…don't you think I deserve it even less than you?" Riku asked, looking over his shoulder. When she didn't say anything, he smirked. "Besides, Sora likes sleeping more than anything. He'll be fine sleeping for a few extra hours."

She stared at him for a long moment before finally giving in. "There's nowhere to go, the mansion doesn't really have that much in it."

"Hmm, that's true," Riku muttered, scratching his chin. Aside from the basement, the mansion was fairly lightly furnished. Even the garden outside was barebones, and whatever little plants grew there had gone wild. "Then we can explore the city."

"The city?" Naminé shook her head. "I couldn't possibly—"

"It's a break," Riku cut her off wryly. Really, there was none of Sora's or Kairi's laziness in her. It was almost refreshing to see someone take things seriously for once. "Where were you when I was making that raft? I would have left the islands years ago."

Reaching the front door, he let go of her hand and opened it. Bright sunlight filtered through and he shaded his eyes as he stepped out. A soft breeze rustled his hair, a bird chirped nearby, and he had almost forgotten what spring was like. There hadn't been much time during his journey to just enjoy the places he went to, the seasons the worlds experienced. Turning back, he held out his hand for Naminé. "You coming or do I have to drag you out?"

"I…" Naminé hesitated, fiddling with her hands nervously as she stared at him. Biting her lip, she took a step outside. Her shoulders hunched, her body braced for some sort of reaction. For someone to drag her back in and put the sketchpad back into her hands.

"You can leave the entrance, you know," Riku encouraged gently, his hands still held out.

"Y-yeah." Emboldened when nothing happened, she grabbed his hand tightly and took another step. And then another. She squinted up at the sky, at the clouds that littered the blue expanse. "It's…beautiful."

Riku shrugged. He'd seen better skies on his island. "I guess."

"I…" Naminé's head darted left and right, taking in the tall grasses and wild roses that made up the front lawn. "I'd seen it all from his memories. And I think I might have come through here once. But…I didn't get to see it myself before. Not really."

"Never?" Riku jerked his head to her, surprised.

"Nobodies, we're not really born like everyone else." Naminé stared down at the grass, slipping a foot out of her sandals to touch it. Delighted by the ticklish sensation, she set her foot down on the squishy ground and wiggled her toes. "I kinda just came to be, at that castle. And then I was taken here, but that was through a warp gate."

"Huh." Riku rubbed the back of his neck. They were more similar than he'd thought. "So your island was that castle, then."

"Hmm?" Naminé peered up at him curiously.

He shook his head. "Nothing. Put your shoes back on, we're going to town."

"Right. Town." Naminé set her jaw determinedly. Pressing her foot one last time on the grass, she slipped her sandal back on. "Ready."

Riku resisted the urge to laugh at the image in front of him. She looked so determined, like she was off to fight a battle rather than just walk into a small town. But her hand was sweaty in his, her nails digging into his skin lightly, and maybe for her this was a fight. "Alright. Since this is your first time, I'll guide you."

-x-

"They have scents." Naminé stared at the rose in her hand, twirling between her fingers. Raising it to her nose, she sniffed it again. "Actual scents."

"And thorns." Gently, he pulled the flower away from her hand. Luckily, she had gripped the stem at the exact right spot to avoid the sharp defense system. Glancing at the house in front of them, he carefully pushed the branch back in place. "Let's _not_ invade someone's garden."

Not paying him any heed, Naminé wandered to the house next door, to a creeping vine of morning glories. "This one smells so different!"

"Did you hear me?" Riku groaned, staring down at the long line of houses ahead of them. Maybe he should have taken a different route into town. Not that it would have made much of a difference, there were going to be flowers no matter what path they took.

Sniffing a peony, Naminé chirped, "This one too!"

It was going to be a long walk.

-x-

A bird chirped. Naminé cupped her ears as they walked, listening to the sounds around her. Riku watched her from the corner of his eye as she tried to identify the owners of different sounds: birds, dogs, other villagers. Her head craned left and right, and there was something endearing about how she pivoted at each new sound.

"It's so noisy," she murmured, looking excited despite her words.

"Compared to the mansion, sure," he refuted, crossing his arms behind his head as he slowed his pace. "If you think this is loud, wait till you see a city."

-x-

"Here." Riku held out a popsicle, plopping the other one in his mouth. Immediately, a cold, sweet flavour hit his tongue, with a salty kick after.

"For me?" Naminé awkwardly accepted, staring at the blue popsicle. The wooden handle was slightly slippery and she pinched it with two fingers, trying to save the rest of her hand from the sticky substance. "A popsicle?"

"It's the town's specialty. Might as well try it." Riku pulled his treat out of his mouth before he could get a brain freeze. "Take a lick, it's pretty good."

"Alright." Scrunching her face, Naminé hesitantly stuck out her tongue and licked it. She squeezed her eyes shut, considering the flavour, before opening them with surprise. "It's sweet."

"And at a normal level." Riku shuddered, remembering the frozen treats Sora and Kairi used to have. It was like having pure sugar dissolve on his tongue. "Though I could do without the salt."

"You just want to—" Naminé glanced at him and immediately covered her mouth. It couldn't completely muffle the sound of her laughter and Riku glared at her.

"What?"

"Just…your tongue. And lips." Naminé's shoulders shook as she tried to compose herself. "It's all blue."

-x-

"It's cold!" Naminé yelped, taking a step back. There weren't many ways to access the shore in Twilight town; the lack of beaches and frosty waters deterred even the most adventures of visitors.

Sitting on a rock, Riku raised a brow. "What did you think it was gonna be? Warm?"

"A little." Naminé shivered, her feet still in the water. The barest edges of the water. The tide lapped at her feet, tiny waves crashing down on her ankles, and she took yet another step back. Looking back at him, she frowned. "The waters in your home were pleasant."

"Yeah, because we lived in the tropics." Riku rolled his eyes. Then again, Sora had never bothered to pay attention to any class, even geography, so maybe she wouldn't know that.

A more powerful wave charged up the shore, enveloping her feet, and she darted back even further. "I'm good for now."

"You sure?" Riku smirked, gesturing at the water. "You were only in it for a few minutes."

"No, definitely, definitely good." Naminé broke into a run as another crash sounded behind her.

-x-

"I hear this has the best view of the sunset," Riku explained, opening the door on the top of the clock tower. A soft breeze ruffled his hair and he shielded his eyes as the sun's last rays hit him. "We're on time at least."

Following him out, Naminé peered around him. "Ohhh." Amazed, she pushed past him and hurried to the railing. Her mouth slack, she watched as the pink and orange hues bled into the blue sky, the sun heading down into the water. "Amazing!"

"Yeah. I guess." Riku had seen this sight more often than he cared to remember. It was strange to watch it alone, without Sora's stupid remarks or Kairi's sharp jabs.

"I didn't know it could be so beautiful," Naminé breathed, her eyes fixed on the sun.

Riku smiled. Right, he wasn't alone. Not now. Leaning on the railing next to her, he glanced at Naminé. "It?"

"The sky." Naminé paused, then shook her head. "The world. Everything, really. I saw them in your memories, but…it's something else to see them for yourself. I never knew such bright blue existed. Or such soft pinks. What else is the universe hiding?"

"Underwater worlds, worlds ruled by animals," Riku listed, ticking them off with his finger. "A lot, really. You'll just have to visit more worlds. Take more breaks."

"Visit…" Naminé mused, lowering her eyes slightly. With a sad smile, she shook her head. "No, this is enough. More than enough."

"Why?" Riku frowned.

"I can't leave the manor like this again—I have too much to do." She beamed at him, but it didn't meet her eyes. "I got a lot of memories from this, it can tide me over." When he opened his mouth to argue, she covered his lips with a finger, her expression stern. "No, really. Thank you. This is more than enough for someone like me."

_Someone like me_. He hated how much that sounded like a curse.

-x-

"Thanks for today." Naminé stretched her arms behind her as she sauntered into her room. Glowing, she beamed brightly at him. "It was a lot of fun, having a break."

"Yeah, it's not bad every once in a while." Riku rested a hand on his hip, a smirk on his face. "Just don't take it as often as Sora does."

"Maybe he wanted you to take more breaks." Laughing, she glanced at one of the drawings on the wall. A picture of a boy sleeping on the sand, without a care in the world. "Or maybe he's just lazy."

"The latter. Definitely the latter." On the wall next to him, Riku spotted one of Sora's terrible drawings. A picture of Sora's and Kairi's head, a paopu fruit passed from one to the other. It was strange. He felt so detached looking at it now. Yet when he'd first saw it, a tidal wave of rage had overcome him. Enough to destroy his world. Enough to destroy many worlds.

At some point, the wave broke, the rage ebbing away. All that was left was a sense of fondness, of his two dense, idiotic friends and a scenario he should have seen eons ago. He glanced behind him. Naminé was humming again as she picked up her sketch pad. There was one more thing he could do for her.

"Gimme a sheet." Walking over to the table, Riku picked up a golden crayon. He rolled it in his hand; the colour was just right.

"You're going to draw?" Mystified, Naminé carefully tore out a page for him. "I thought you weren't good at that."

Riku shot her a baleful glare. The downside of her combing through Sora's memories—his past was an open book to her. Including all of his art classes. "I'm just not interested in it."

"That wasn't what—"

"I'm just not interested," he repeated forcefully, grumpily glaring at her. It wasn't a lie. He wasn't good, so he wasn't interested. There was no point in doing something that even Sora, the class idiot, got higher marks than him in. Spreading the sheet of paper, he stared at it for a long moment. Maybe this was a bad idea. Even a simple shape ended up distorted in his hands.

"If you say so," Naminé acquiesced, covering her mouth to hide her laughter.

Riku peeked at her from the corner of his eyes. Shoulders shaking, eyes full of mirth, Naminé looked like an ordinary girl. Nothing like the sad Nobody he usually saw, counting down the days till she disappeared. Determined, he started drawing, straight confident lines into the shape of a star.

"So, what are you drawing?" Naminé tried to peek over his shoulder, but he blocked her.

"Just wait." Biting his cheek, he glanced at her artwork on the walls. Yep. He was right. He was no good at this and he was definitely never doing it again. Finishing the piece, he instructed, "Hold out your hand."

Naminé cocked her head. "My hand?"

"Just hold it out," he ordered. When she held out her right hand, he placed the sheet on her hands.

"What?" Naminé stared at it, realization dawning in her expression. "This is…"

"You didn't get one either, right?" Riku shrugged, looking away in embarrassment as she stared at him. "It might not be as good as yours, but even I can draw a paopu fruit."

"It's not that. I…I can't…" Naminé looked back at the paper, her hand still flat and rejecting it entirely. "I'm…I'm not real. I'll go away."

She really wasn't like any of his friends: softer, more awkward, more nervous. And completely unable to let herself be happy. "Didn't I say I wouldn't forget?" Riku reminded her. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. Her bones felt fragile under his hand. "You're real to me. You're here."

Stricken, she shook her head. "But I…."

He folded the paper and curled her hand over the hard edges. It crinkled at the touch. "And now you'll always be real, because our destinies are intertwined."

She bit her lip before slowly nodding. Wiping a tear from her eyes, she chuckled. "You're really bad at drawing."

"Oh, shut up." Riku turned around, his ears burning hot. "Like I said, I'm just not interested in it."


End file.
